Conducting an Executive Search for a Chair and Board Directors to Drive Diversity, Strategic Governance, and Innovation in a Global Humanitarian Organisation
The Brief
After previously partnering with this global humanitarian organisation in the appointments of the CEO and senior executive roles, the senior consultant team at Future Leadership was engaged to conduct an extensive Australia-wide search to identify and assist in the appointment of a Chair Designate. The first appointment was for the role of Board Chair in 2019.
In May 2020 the organisation’s board approached Future Leadership to support a search for up to 5 Member Directors to represent the interests of their new strategic framework on the Board. Appointments were to be finalised for the AGM in August.
The future board will provide the governance oversight, strategic foresight, deep community engagement and knowledge to the innovation and transformation that will ensure a powerful, relevant, authoritative, respected and legitimate organisation that drives the equity needed to eliminate poverty.
The Board bears ultimate responsibility for the organisation achieving its purpose along with its overall performance and compliance, providing strategic direction, effective governance and leadership on behalf of our stakeholders.
Candidate net Promote Score
Future Leadership combines truly personalised relationships with innovative technology solutions to ensure an approachable and efficient process for all our Net Promoter Score across clients, successful candidates and unsuccessful candidates is well above industry standard.
Candidates supported every year
We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.
Senior Women Appointed since 2002
Over half of the executive search assignments undertaken by our team have resulted in the appointment of outstanding female or LGBTQI+ leaders to high profile roles.
Candidate Retention Rate for 12 months since 2002
Our thorough briefing process and ability to engage passive candidates mean that we go to great lengths to find the right person for the role – long term!
The Process
It was decided that only the Board Chair would remain as a standing Director and all members of the board would stand down to enable a board refresh, with the objective of a Board that better represented the diversity and lived experience of the community it represents.
Future Leadership ran a comprehensive search through a concentrated advertising campaign as well as utilizing local and overseas networks and talent pools to identify a diverse candidate pool of quality applicants.
Emerging Capabilities
Strategy and Purpose
Develops and leads strategy for the function/organisation, taking a broad and long-term perspective. Communicates and gains buy-in to organisational goals and vision, promoting change initiatives.
Culture and Engagement
Fosters a positive culture, creating a sense of belonging and inclusiveness. Creates an environment that encourages diverse perspectives and facilitates a psychologically safe environment.
Governance and Compliance
Establishes, champions, and measures the effectiveness of an organisation’s regulatory and reporting systems. Identifies and evaluates risks and develops strategies to mitigate risk.
Stakeholder Relations
Establishes rapport with stakeholders, builds and sustains trusted and collaborative relationships. Identifies and draws on relevant and diverse perspectives and integrates them to support productive interactions.
Communication and Influence
Communicates with clarity and impact to facilitate individual and collective understanding, inspire action and enable information exchange. Leverages human-centric communication and storytelling to effectively influence stakeholders across the physical and virtual realms.
The Outcome
Future Leadership™ successfully supported the appointment of:
- Board Chair: An experienced leader in governance and advocacy, known for fostering innovative approaches to social justice.
- Member Directors: Five highly capable Directors with diverse professional and lived experiences, reflecting the organisation’s values and commitment to inclusive governance.
The Board refresh elevated the organisation’s ability to provide strategic direction, effective governance, and impactful advocacy, ensuring its continued leadership in driving equity and social change.
Kate Wheeler has partnered with our organisation on numerous executive (including CEO) and board solutions over the past decade. Kate was at the helm supporting us to develop a solution for the unique scenario of our entire board being disbanded and rebuilt with a critical focus on diversity. Kate and the team developed a Capability Framework and Matrix to support measurable quotas and fulfil a multidimensional and meaningful approach to diversity at the decision-making table. Given the iconic nature of the organisation, significant interest in the approach was managed sensitively by Kate and the team. She worked collaboratively and in a dedicated manner with the nominations committee to support a holistic approach to ensuring complementary capability would produce measurable results to elevate the important work of the organisation.
